Bottle carriers



July 30. 1968 J, A KE T ET AL 3,394,800

BOTTLE CARRIERS Filed Au 24,

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w "6 Z A 4 C n M 0 1 A n n 2 5MB B m ww mmm uww 5 .n a B "2 v 9 mm 2 5 x 2 m M F July 30, 1968 Filed Aug. 24, 1966 J. C. BRACKETT ET AL BOTTLE CARRIERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 17 10 1 3 112 1. 3 {7 u y I u 29. 0 1 a0 -0 29 @31 1. I 4 6 5 25 5 AW 95 15* 99 INVENTOR domv C BRACKET? W14 4 MM M. 701. 4448 United States Patent 3,394,800 BOTTLE CARRIERS John C. Brackett, 702 Fairmount Ave. 55105, and William M. Tolaas, 1030 Cottage Place 55112, both of St. Paul, Minn.

Filed Aug. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 574,709 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention comprises a container for bottles or similar objects arranged in two side-by-side rows. A first strip of paperboard extends beneath the rows up along the ends of the rows, over the end bottles of the rows, and down between the end bottles of the rows. A second strip extends transversely across the rows, downwardly along the sides of the rows, and inwardly beneath the bottom of the first strip, terminating in locking tongues extending upwardly between the rows. The portions of the strips overlying the bottles may be apertured to accommodate the caps of the bottles.

This invention relates to an improvement in bottle carriers and deals particularly with a carrier structure which completely encloses the bottles.

For many years there has been a controversy between various brewers and breweries regarding whether or not sunlight has a deleterious effect upon their product. Many breweries bottle their products in darkly-colored bottles, and enclose the bottles within relatively light-proof carriers or containers. Other breweries feel that the use of colored bottles is unnecessary, and market their product in carriers in which the bottles are exposed to' daylight. Obviously, the use of an open-top tray or on open-ended sleeve to accommodate the bottles is considerably less expensive than constructions in which the bottles are entirely enclosed. An obejct of the present invention lies in the provision of a carrier which completely encloses the product and which prevents the bottles from coming into direct contact with one another.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a carrier carton which comprises two elongated strips of paperboard. The first of these strips includes a bottom panel, a pair of end wall panels hinged to opposite ends of a bottom panel, a pair of top panels hinged to the upper edges of the end wall panels, and a pair of divider panels hinged to the ends of the top panels. The other strip includes a top panel, a pair of side walls hingedly connected to opposite sides of the top panel, a pair of half bottom panels each designed to extend half the width of the bottom of the carrier, and a series of locking tongues hinged to these bottom panels. The locking tongues are designed to extend through slots in the bottom panel of the first strip, and to extend between the two rows of bottles.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of apertures in the two strips which tend to anchor the two strips in a predetermined position. The top panels of the first-mentioned strip are each provided with a pair of apertures which extend over the necks of the bottles with the partition panels extending between the end bottles of each row and the center bottles of the two rows, it being understood that the carrier is used for carrying six bottles. The top panel of the second strip is likewise provided with apertures through which the caps of the bottles extend, these apertures having a series of flaps or ears about the periphery which are engageable against the undersurface of the cap. When the ends of the second strip are locked in place, the carrier includes a double thickness bottom wall and a double thickness top wall extending over two-thirds of the area thereof. Due to the fact that the locking tongues are positioned between the bottles of the two rows, the strips forming the carrier are securely fastened together.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawing forming a part of the specification,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the carrier in closed condition.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view through the carrier, the position of the section being indicated by the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional View through the carrier, the position of the section being indicated by the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a bottom perspective view of the carrier in partially locked condition.

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which one portion of the carrier is formed.

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the other portion of the carrier is formed.

The carrier A is formed from two elongated strips of paperboard which are indicated in general by the numerals 10 and 11. As indicated in FIGURE 5 of the drawings, the blank 10 includes a bottom panel 12 which is hingedly connected along opposite edges 13 to end wall panels 14. The end wall panels 14 are hingedly connected along parallel fold lines 15 to top panels 16. The top panels 16 are foldably connected along parallel fold lines 17 to divider panels 19. The top panels are of a length substantially equal to the outer diameter of a bottle to be contained.

The blank 11 includes a central top panel 20 which is hingedly connected along parallel fold lines 21 to side wall panels 22. The side wall panels 22 are connected along parallel fold lines 23 to bottom panels 24, the bottom panels 24 being of a length equal to substantially one half the width of the carrier or substantially equal to the exterior diameter of the bottles B. The bottom panels 24 are connected along fold lines 25 to locking tongues 26. As the carrier A is designed to contain six bottles which are arranged in two side-by-side rows of three bottles each, there are three such locking tongues at each end of the blank, the center locking tongues being located at the transverse center of the blank, and the other two locking tongues 26 being spaced from the center tongues a distance substantially equal to the outer diameter of the bottles B.

The top panels 16 of the blank 10 are provided with a pair of apertures 27, the centers of these apertures being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the bottles B. The apertures 27 are equally spaced on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the blank. In preferred form, a pair of apertures 29 are provided intersecting the fold lines 17 and extending along the longitudinal center line of the blank. The portions of the apertures 29 which are in the top panels 16 are arranged to substantially register with finger openings in the blank 11 as will be later described.

The bottom panel 12 of the blank 10 is provided with three locking slots 30 which are elongated longitudinally of the blank and are arranged along the longitudinal center line thereof. These locking slots 30 are properly spaced to accommodate the locking tongues 26 of the blank 11.

The top panel 20 of the blank 11 is provided with a series of six apertures 31, the centers of which are spaced apart a distance equal to the diameter of the bottles B, and which are designed to receive the caps 32 of the bottles B mounted on the bottle necks 33. The apertures 3 31 are provided with a series of substantially trapezoidal flaps 34 hinged to the edges thereof. These flaps 34 are designed to engage against the undersurface of the caps 32 when the carrier is closed, as is indicated in the drawmgs.

In the closing of the carriers A, the blank is first wrapped about the assembled bottles B, the bottles resting on the bottom panel 12. The end walls 14 are folded upwardly along the ends of the group of bottles. The divider panels 19 are folded relative to the top panels 16, and the top panels are folded down over the bottles so that the necks 33 of the bottles project upwardly through the apertures 27.

The blank 11 is next applied to the bottles. The top panel 20 is pressed down over the bottle caps, the caps flexing the tabs 34 upwardly until they slip by the caps and engage against the neck and undersurface of each cap. The side walls 22 are folded down over the sides of the bottles. The locking tongues 26 are bent along the fold lines 25 into angular relation to the bottom panels 24, and the panels 24 are swung upwardly against the bottom panel 12, the locking tongues 26 being guided through the slots 30 and between the bottles B of the two rows in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings.

With this arrangement, the divider panels 19 extend between the bottles of each of the two rows to the depth necessary to prevent them from coming in contact. The locking tabs 26 hold the bottles of the two rows in spaced relation, and the upper ends of the bottles are held in proper relation by the tabs 34.

In order to lift the carrier, the top panel 20 is provided with a pair of opposed tabs which are defined by opposed U-shaped cut lines 36, the ends of which are connected by parallel fold lines 37. By flexing the tabs 34 downwardly as indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, fingers may be inserted through the registering apertures thus formed.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principles of construction and operation of our improvement in bottle carriers; while we have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. A carrier carton for use in containing two side-byside rows of capped bottles, each row including three bottles, the carton including:

a first elongated strip of paperboard transversely creased to provide a bottom panel of a length substantially equal to three times the bottle diameter, end walls slightly shorter than the height of the bottles and extending upwardly along the end bottles of the two rows, two partial top panels of a length substantially equal to the bottle diameter and apertured to accommodate the caps of the end bottles of the two rows,

a second transversely creased elongated strip of paperboard of a width substantially equal to three times the bottle diameter including a top panel of a length substantially equal to twice the bottle diameter, a pair of side wall panels hinged to opposite ends of said top panel and of a height slightly less than the height of the bottles, and a pair of partial bottom panels of a length substantially equal to the bottle diameter,

said top panel being apertured to accommodate the caps of the bottles,

said bottom panel of said first strip having three slots extending along the longitudinal center line, and

locking tongues on the end edges of said partial bottom panels extending through said slots and between the bottles of said rows.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said partial top panels of said first strip are hingedly connected to partition panels extending downwardly between the central bottles of each row and the end panels thereof.

3. A carrier for capped bottles and the like arranged in two side-by-side rows, the carrier including:

a first elongated strip of paperboard transversely creased to provide a bottom panel of a length equal to the length of the rows, end walls hinged to opposite ends of said bottom panel, partial top panels hinged to said end walls, and substantially equal in length to the diameter of the bottles, and divider panels hinged to said partial top panels and being adapted to extend between the end bottles of the rows and intermediate bottles of said rows,

a second elongated strip of paperboard of a width substantially equal to the length of said rows transversely creased to provide a top panel of a length substantially equal to twice the bottle diameter, side walls hinged to opposite ends of said top wall, and partial bottom walls hinged to the ends of said side walls, and

means for securing said partial bottom walls underlying said bottom panel and in face contact therewith,

said partial top panels being apertured to accommodate the necks of the end bottles of the two rows.

4. The structure of claim 3 and in which the top wall of said second strip is apertured to accommodate the caps of the bottles.

5. A carrier for capped bottles and the like arranged in two side-by-side rows, the carrier including:

a first elongated strip of paperboard transversely creased to provide a bottom panel of a length equal to the length of the rows, end walls hinged to opposite ends of said bottom panel, partial top panels hinged to said end walls, and substantially equal in length to the diameter of the bottles, and divider panels hinged to said partial top panels and being adapted to extend between the end bottles of the rows and intermediate bottles of said rows,

a second elongated strip of paperboard of a width substantially equal to the length of said rows transversely creased to provide a top panel of a length substantially equal to twice the bottle diameter, side walls hinged to opposite ends of said top wall, and partial bottom walls hinged to the ends of said side walls, and

means for securing said partial bottom walls underlying said bottom panel and in face contact therewith,

said means for securing said partial panels to said bottom panel including locking tongues extendable between the bottles of the two rows.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner. 

